Box Score BRUNSWICK, Ga.- The Coastal Georgia women's basketball team (1-4(0-0)) fell 71-63 in its home opener to Edward Waters (2-0) on Tuesday night.
The Mariners had an evenly split offensive outing as five players scored 11 or more points. Junior guard Kelsey Leedle led the charge with 13 points and was a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc.
Seniors Joyce Jordan and Nicole Hofmann each scored 12 points and shot a combined 6-13 from the three-point line. Fellow senior Sonia Forney dropped in 11 points as well and snatched down six rebounds.
Freshman guard Gabby Litvak scored 11 points while also recording career-highs in rebounds with seven and assists with six. Litvak also corralled a steal that led to a transition three by Leedle late in the second quarter.
For the Tigers, junior guard Tatum Hayes was hot from the moment the game tipped off. She shot a blistering 7-13 from the three-point line on her way to 25 points. Khadijah Smith and Lee'Sha Henry helped out their teammate and combined for 27 points while Isis Smith dropped in 11 of her own to round out the major scorers for Edward Waters.
As a team, the Mariners came out hot in the first half. They shot an incredible 8-12 (66.7 percent) from the three-point line while also shooting 45.2 percent from the field. The Tigers, on the other hand, were limited to shooting just 33.3 percent from the field, but Hayes was able to find her spots to help keep the Tigers close.
In the second half, the Mariners went cold. They shot 27.3 percent from beyond the arc and 33.3 percent from the field. The Tigers shot 27.3 percent from three as well, but shot well overall at 48.4 percent and were able to capitalize off of turnovers.
How It Happened:
1ST QUARTER: In a game of runs, the Mariners struck first. After trailing 13-10, Coastal Georgia opened up an 11-3 run thanks to a pair of Nicole Hofmann threes and back-to-back buckets by Gabby Litvak. The Mariners rode a 21-16 lead in the second quarter.
2nd QUARTER: This time the Tigers came out swinging. They opened up the quarter on an 8-2 run and retook the lead at 24-23. The Mariners quickly answered, however, as they went on a 10-3 run thanks to 8 straight points by Kelsey Leedle. The Mariners went into the break leading 37-32.
3rd QUARTER: Gabby Litvak opened up the second half with a three-pointer from the corner and then took a rebound coast-to-coast for an easy layup which forced the Tigers to take an early timeout with the Mariners lead being increased to 42-32. Out of the timeout, Edward Waters looked reinvigorated as they stormed back to tie the game 46-46 after a 14-4 run headed by 8 Tatum Hayes points. The game was back-and-forth for the next two minutes before the Tigers went on a 6-0 run to end the quarter with a 58-52 lead.
4th QUARTER: The Mariners would not see the lead again but made it close. Coastal Georgia came within one possession of tying the game three times, but the Tigers were able to answer back quickly and would go on to win their second game of the season 71-63.
UP NEXT: The Mariners will go on the road for a pair of Sun Conference games against No. 6 Southeastern on Nov. 17 and Ave Maria on Nov. 19.
